Creating an Open Source Circular Economy with Michel Bauwens

This episode is a crash course in the commons economy with Michel Bauwens of the P2P foundation. Michel introduces me to the concept of P2P and how it can be used to create commons. We discuss how the concept of the commons can be used as a model for governance in the circular economy and you’ll also hear why Michel is cautious of the so-called ‘sharing economy’ popularized by platforms such as Uber and Airbnb.

ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST

Michel Bauwens is the founder and director of the P2P Foundation and works in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. Michel is also research director of CommonsTransition.org, a platform for policy development aimed toward a society of the Commons. He has (co-)published various books and reports, is a founding member of the Commons Strategies Group, and recently crafted a Commons Transition Plan for the city of Ghent in Belgium in 2017.

Highlights:

• What is P2P and the commons economy
• How you can use P2P to create commons 
• Examples of city commons labs and how to use protocols to create urban commons
• Why Michel is cautious of the so-called ‘sharing economy’ popularized by platforms such as Uber and Airbnb
• How the commons economy could enable circular systems
• The three different levels of open contributive systems and four types of ownership 
• Why commons licensing works best for immaterial goods